Description:Don't know much about either of these locations other than the Plaza Hotel location was closed by Donald Trump around 1989-90. The Savoy Hilton location, I'm guessing was opened before that *probably* in the late 50s (?) I don't know if these locations existed simultaneously, but I'm guessing again that they probably didn't. The only relic I have of the Savoy Hilton location is a postcard, a vertical image, with their phone number listed as (212) ELdorado 5-2600. Other than that I haven't seen many artifacts outside of maybe a random matchbook with the 'taboo' Trader Vic logo. If anybody has any info or images to share...please do.

The following is a 1960's postcard from the Savoy Hilton NY Trader Vic Location. Listed as "7th East 58th Street".

Looks pretty damn nice to me!! I don't know too much info. about it so hopefully someone else can add something.

The next image is a Magazine Ad (Showing 2 different colors) advertising the different things to do while at 'The Plaza' which mentions the Trader Vic's Restaurant. It is for The Plaza's "Hot Spots" or entertainment, where you can see at the top left, a Tiki Statue holding a drink. This Ad dates from the 1970's.

The last thing I can find right now is a old lunch receipt/cheque from July 9th, 1968. It's kind of interesting and has the Vic's logo at top along with "Trader Vic's at The Plaza".

On 2008-02-05 23:03, TabooDan wrote:The following is a 1960's postcard from the Savoy Hilton NY Trader Vic Location. Listed as "7th East 58th Street".

Looks pretty damn nice to me!! I don't know too much info. about it so hopefully someone else can add something.

The next image is a Magazine Ad advertising the different things to do while at The Plaza which mentions the Trader Vic's Restaurant. It is for The Plaza's "Hot Spots" or entertainment, where you can see at the top left, a Tiki Statue holding a drink. This Ad dates from the 1970's.

The last thing I can find right now is a old lunch receipt/cheque from July 9th, 1968. It's pretty cool and has the Vic's logo at top along with "Trader Vic's at The Plaza".

Mahalo, TabooDan

Thanks for the post. I think I actually have that postcard as well, I'l have to look at my collection. Hm...so that check was from the 60s at The Plaza. wonder when they got rid of the Savoy location.

Said it a million times here already, but sometime in 1989-90, me and my girlfriend at the time went to the Trader Vic's at The Plaza which was in the basement of the hotel. I'l never forget; I think I saw a hint of a thatched entrance with a gate pulled down and a sign saying something like 'closed indefinitely'. I was so CLOSE to going in there, I was soooo disappointed!!!! Needless to say, despite our hopes, the place never opened again. There was no such thing as the internet or Tiki Central back then. How did I deal??

You are right, Donald Trump is BAD!
I found this article on the New York Times archive documenting the close of the Trader Vic’s at the Plaza.

“Trader Vic's, the Polynesian bar in the Plaza that has played host to generations of moneyed gadabouts, prep school students on R&R and fans of its Samoan Fog Cutters, has ''gotten tacky'' and will be closed, the hotel's owner, Donald J. Trump, said yesterday. ''Trader Vic's does not fit in with the image of the hotel that I want to achieve,'' Mr. Trump said.

Trader Vic's will be replaced by a health club, a restaurant featuring Chinese and Japanese food and - in an adjustment sure to give some solace to grieving patrons - a bar, under Trump ownership, that will serve tropical drinks. Mr. Trump could not say yesterday whether those drinks would include floating gardenias or bristling batteries of straws.
Mr. Trump, who bought the Plaza for $390 million in March, said construction would begin in three or four months on the Oriental restaurant and the athletic club, which will feature a Nautilus weightlifting circuit and will initially be open only to hotel guests. Pooh-Poohing the 'Pu-Pu'

More than a year ago, the restaurant part of Trader Vic's, which has occupied the basement of the Plaza for almost 25 years, was closed by one of the hotel's previous owners, the Westin Hotels and Resorts Chain. The 12,000-foot restaurant space has been empty since then, but the bar has remained open, offering its popular ''pu-pu'' platter - a variety of hors d'oeuvres - and a wide assortment of customer-staggering potions.
Clint Wade, a spokesman for the Trader Vic's chain in New York, said the company hopes to run the new Oriental restaurant. But Mr. Trump said he has ''no intention of keeping Trader Vic's'' at the Plaza. ''The Trumps want to get a new looking restaurant and that is also what we want,'' Mr. Wade said. ''Sure, Trader Vic's has gotten tacky, but that's because nothing has been done to it in 12 years.''

Didier A. Peyron, president and chief executive of Trader Vic's Restaurants Inc., said he was unaware of Mr. Trump's decision and was planning to meet with him this week. ''There will definitely be a Trader Vic in New York, even if it's closed at the Plaza,'' said a surprised Mr. Peyron from his office in San Francisco, where the company is based.
Trader Vic's, with its dim, cavernous rooms topped by thatched roofs and decorated with spears and dugout canoes, remained persistently chic after its opening in 1958 at the Savoy-Plaza Hotel, now the site of the General Motors Building. Trader Vic's moved to the Plaza in 1965.
Prep-school teen-agers were lured by its drinks, which had a rum base and names like Dr. Funk of Tahiti.

President Richard M. Nixon said it was one of his favorite restaurants, and he dined there during a visit to New York in 1972. Nixon Laments Its Closing ''My entire family will be very sorry to see it close,'' Mr. Nixon said yesterday through a spokesman. ''It was always our daughters' favorite restaurant, and it quickly became mine too.''

But the restaurant also had its critics. In the 1970's, Yul Brynner told his friends to stop eating at Trader Vic's after he ate spareribs there and suffered trichinosis. He sued the restaurant in 1974 for $3 million and settled out of court four years later.

It is interesting to read that President Nixon also liked this Trader Vic’s after seeing the picture of him at the Washington D.C. Traders in a previous thread on TC.

ikitnrev wrote:
The following is a photo of President Richard Nixon, leaving the Washington D.C. Trader Vics on February 13, 1973. His wife Patricia, and daughter Tricia, are in the background

This first one is a hard to find postcard from the Savoy Hilton. This is a great scene with the huge vertical Tikis, concave roof, puffer fish, bird cages, clam shells, etc.

This second one is the standard generic Savoy card - I posted it as the other images on this page are all small.

This last one is really cool - the only one I have seen from when Trader Vic's moved to the basement at the Plaza.

Would love to see a picture of the 54-foot outrigger from the "Mutiny on the Bounty" that hung in the lobby.

DC

Cool postcard from the Savoy. I've never seen that one. Interesting article, I never knew about the Nixon angle, and Yul Brenner getting trichinosis, eek!! Shoulda stuck to cocktails only Yul. I love how they said there will be a Trader Vic's in NYC even if it's not at the Plaza. Well...I'm still waiting.What are we going on now? Almost 20 years without one? And as far as Trump goes, it's been said before but bears repeating: Trump is a Chump! And not just because of Trader Vic's. Talk about someone with bad taste. Jeez.

Awesome postcards Dustycajun!! Probably some of the coolest Trader Vic cards around!! Never seen that basement one before.

The second card, generic Savoy card, (in my post as well - Just fixed images) has got to be one of the more classic Trader Vic's as it shows everything that I think we all love about Vic's and all of that great decor being visible in one shot makes a awesome card. You can break that one down into sections and there would still be everything that made Trader Vic's decor so great! Still a card that comes up frequently as well.

Nothing too great, but here's an old matchbook cover from The Plaza location.

Just reading in the introduction to the novel version of '2001: A Space Odyssey' where Arthur C. Clarke mentions that his first meeting with Kubrick to discuss the project was in Trader Vic's at The Plaza. Makes sense to me!!!!

On 2009-07-12 22:04, donhonyc wrote:Just reading in the introduction to the novel version of '2001: A Space Odyssey' where Arthur C. Clarke mentions that his first meeting with Kubrick to discuss the project was in Trader Vic's at The Plaza. Makes sense to me!!!!